Redemption: Family
by Leon Stryfe
Summary: This story is the sequel to Redemption. In the aftermath of Buffy's brief return and exit, the Scoobies are left in emotional shambles. Sensing a threat that he can't protect Dawn from, Spike enlists the aid of the one man who can help.
1. Family Teaser

_**A/N**- A thousand thanks to my beta, Anaiya Illyria. Standard disclaimers apply. This story takes place about a week after Glamour._

The sky was overcast and dreary, and rain was falling lightly over the city.

"Another day in London," Giles muttered to himself. He turned away from the rain streaked window and turned towards his kitchen. He picked up his tea pot just in time to prevent the high pitched whistle he knew was coming. Giles allowed himself a small smile. He hadn't been home very long, a little over two weeks, and he felt something was missing. He just couldn't place his finger on it. Three days ago he'd begun a list trying to ferret out just what it was that was making him restless. He'd thought that it was romantics, but his few trysts with Olivia had refuted that theory. Today, he'd finally figured it out. He was missing his friends.

Giles thought that escaping Sunnydale, leaving behind the place of his Slayer's death, would alleviate the infinite sense of loss that had filled him since the fateful day that Buffy had died. In the end, the only thing he'd left behind were the only people who understood what he was feeling. Of course, he had contacted Sam Zabuto, Kendra's watcher, to discuss how he was getting along. Zabuto seemed no more distraught than he would have been had he broken his favourite tea cup. To him, indeed, to the whole of the Watcher's Council, Slayer's were merely tools, easily replaced when after they break.

Giles sighed disgustedly, recalling his conversation long ago with Quentin Travers about how the Slayer's were more than weapons. Just thinking about the man was enough to rile him up, and Giles wasn't feeling up to it today. He let his thoughts return to his friends back in Sunnydale. He was a little surprised that he had come to think of them as such. It seemed that just yesterday that Willow and Xander had stumbled into his library and into his life. They were so young then and yet so ready to aid their friends in the face of danger, lacking even the rudimentary knowledge of what they would come up against. They weren't quite so young anymore, and had experience that seasoned military men would envy, but the one thing that never changed was their love of one another. And he had abandoned them, that familial bond, in search of... what? The easing of his pain? Giles shook his head. He had been down this line of thinking before, and it did nothing to raise his spirits. He finished making his tea, two sugars, and sat down to relax when the phone rang. Giles, caught up in his thoughts, jumped at the sound and sent his tea crashing to the floor. He immediately thought of Buffy, and couldn't figure out why. The phone rang again, causing Giles to curse loudly before moving to pick it up.

"What the bloody hell do you want?" Giles was angry, and couldn't keep it out of his voice. He immediately regretted the way he'd answered the phone, but felt justified when he heard the voice on the other line.

"Well, now, that's no way to treat a fellow countryman. It's not proper." The man on the other line pronounced it "propah", the way every good Englishman would. However, Giles knew the man he was speaking with was no good Englishman.

"Spike." He said it with such disdain that Spike couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on, Rupert, you can't hate me all that much, what leavin' Little Bit in my care an' all."

"What do you want, Spike? I'm not sending you any more money." Giles took his glasses off and began rubbing the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

"Right. Man of few words for a change. I like it. Why I'm callin' is simple. You need to come back to Sunnydale." Giles was momentarily stunned and couldn't formulate a response. When he did, his voice was acid.

"Why in the _hell_ would I go back there? More importantly, why would I do it for you of all _creatures_? What game are you playing here?" He added extra emphasis to show his disdain for Spike and his vampiric ilk.

"Keep your knickers on, grandpa, it's not for me. You know damn good and well that I don't much like you, and I'm well aware that the feelin's mutual. Thing's 'ave been hectic 'round here, what with the CPS inspection and the Buffy/Willow body swap. I tell ya' th—"

"What did you just say?" Giles interrupted Spike midsentence. "What body swap?"

"Oh." Spike was taken aback, and even felt a little sorry for the man. "They never called you. Bloody hell." Spike paused, and Giles was certain that he could hear the spark of flint on Spike's end of the line. After Spike filled his lungs with smoke from, what Giles would've bet money on, Morley brand, he continued speaking. "Ugh, I'm not good at the magic mumbo-jumbo, but something happened and Buffy came back, but in Willow's body. She got to say her goodbyes all propah like before goin' back to whatever heaven she was pulled out of." Spike gave Giles a few moments to process the information. Giles' face at first showed confusion, followed quickly by pain. He was suddenly very happy that no one was around to see him. When he had pulled his thoughts together, he began speaking again.

"I see. Why exactly do think I need to return?" His calm voice would have fooled anyone other than Spike. He could imagine what the man was feeling, and didn't begrudge him trying to hide his pain.

"Child Services showed up when all this was goin' down, the mess with Buffy. She put on a good show, got 'em to call of the dogs for awhile, but it's not gonna last. She won't be here next time. We need a permanent solution. Who else but you?"

"Who else but me what?" Giles was genuinely confused by Spike's statement. He couldn't follow through his logic.

"Look, mate, you were basically Buffy's dad, yeah? I mean, she 'ad a dad, but he's crazier than a sack a' hammers an' left those girls to their fates after their mum died. So, way I look at it, you're the best option to play father figure to Nibblet."

"Spike, I… I have a life here. I can't just drop everything to return to Sunnydale. And to be a father? I don't know if I can." He knew that, in reality, nothing was keeping him in London, nor in the whole of England, for that matter. However, he honestly didn't know if he was up to task of raising a child.

"That's bollocks, Rupert, and you bloody well know it! You raised Buffy as much as Joyce did, well, after you came into her life anyway."

"No, Spike, I trained a soldier, not raise a girl."

"Hell, life's a battlefield anyway; what's the difference?" Giles sighed, realizing that Spike was set in his stance. Spike continued before he could be refuted. "Everyone here needs you, Rupert. Red and Dawn have been a wreck since the ordeal, and Xander hasn't been much help. The rest of us, we didn't know her as long, know her as well, so we weren't affected as bad." Giles knew Spike was lying, at least about his own pain, but he decided to let the vampire continue without interruption. "We've been trying to help out as much as we can, but hell; we're talkin' about me, the ex-vengeance queen, and Tara. We can't man this ship, Giles. It's fallin' apart."

Giles fought back another sigh. On the one hand, he was saddened by the pain his friends were feeling, and he was also furious that Spike, of all people, was the only one with the decency to call. On the other hand, he was also feeling needed for the first time in months. It was a strange but altogether welcome feeling. The Englishman was torn, and didn't know which direction to go.

"I don't know what you're expecting of me, or what you want me to say."

"With Joyce and Buffy in the ground, you're the last authority figure this lot 'as ever had, Rupert. I expect you come back, look out for Dawnie, for the rest of 'em, because there is no one else who can. I made a promise to _her_, to protect Dawn, and when I can't do it, I need people who _can_. No one else saw what you did with Ben durin' the Glory thing. I know you've got what it takes, push come to shove, and none o' the rest of 'em can say the same." Giles winced at the mention of the past summer and his deed with Ben. He regretted the way that it had had to end but didn't regret his actions. As Spike said, it had to be done.

"Spike, I…"

"Come back Rupert. _They_ need you." With that, Spike hung up the phone, leaving Giles listening to dead air. He had yet to fully collect his thoughts when his end started beeping, alerting him that the other line was closed. It caused Giles to start again, and he dropped the phone as a result.

"Bloody Hell".


	2. Family: Act I

_**"Redemption"**_

**Episode 2**

**"Family"**

_by Leon Stryfe_

**Starring:**

James Marsters as "Spike"

Michelle Trachtenberg as "Dawn Summers"

Nicholas Brendan as "Alexander 'Xander' Harris"

Alyson Hannigan as "Willow Rosenberg"

Amber Benson as "Tara Maclay"

Emma Caulfield as "Anya Jenkins"

**Guest Starring:**

Ayelet Zurer as "Jennifer"

Indira Varma as "Innana"

with

Lorraine Bracco as "Zelda"

and

Anthony Stewart Head as "Rupert Giles"

Spike put down the receiver and flopped into a chair. He took in his surroundings as he finished smoking his cigarette. The Summers' kitchen looked like rubbish. The dishes hadn't been washed in two days, the ice box was empty, and the whole place reeked of smoke. Normally, Spike would have four women badgering him to smoke outside, which just went to show him how bad things really were.

Willow hadn't come out of her room in days, and Dawn had missed a week of school. Luckily, Tara had the foresight to call in sick for her, and even magicked up a doctor's note to take to the school. Spike smiled when he thought of Tara. She had been the only other one in the house trying to keep the mood up. Granted, for a day or two Spike himself had been rather useless in that department, but he quickly pulled himself together when he saw that his mood wasn't helping any.

He thought about going out and finding something to kill, but quickly dismissed the idea. He had rarely left the house since Buffy's brief return, stealing away only while everyone was awake and only for blood and smokes. He had promised to protect Dawn, had reaffirmed it without anyone asking it of him, and he planned to keep his word. However, he knew that everything that he had tried to do to cheer things up hadn't worked out so well. His usual snarky attitude didn't seem to help, and being thoughtful only went so far. Sadly, Tara seemed to be the only one aware of what Spike was trying to do, and she made her appreciation known in small and subtle ways. Just yesterday he saw her sprinkling some Weetabix into his blood.

He'd always liked Tara, and though that she and Willow were a good match, strengthening each other, supporting their lover when they faltered. Like pillars, they were, but lately Willow had sagged lower than Tara could hold up. Xander would go a long way to cheering things up around the Summers house, but he had avoided the place like the plague. Spike had tried to talk some sense into him, but it hadn't gone so well.

"_Spike, when I want advice on how to deal with grief, I won't turn to a guy that's been the cause of so much of it_." Hmph. Fine then, Spike had thought, and had left it at that. Since nothing he did or no-one he turned to had been of any help, he decided to call in the big guns. He and Rupert didn't agree on a great many things, but the best interests of Dawn were among them.

Dawn. All she seemed to do was mope around the house. She rarely ate, and he had practically had to force feed her that first night. Seeing the last Summers in pain didn't help his spirits any, and it was getting harder to maintain an air of normalcy.

"God, I really need a drink," Spike mumbled to himself. He suddenly realised that hadn't had alcohol in nearly a week.

"Me too." Spike was surprised by the voice behind him, and he silently cursed himself for letting his guard down, even in the house. He turned to see Xander standing behind him. "So, how are things in the house of blues?"

Spike eyed him for a moment and debated whether or not to respond with insults or the truth, or his normal combination of both. He settled for the plain truth, as he was genuinely surprised to see Xander at this time of night, let alone in this house.

"It's bad mate. Willow still hasn't come out of her room and Dawn hasn't been to school since..." Spike left the sentence unfinished, and Xander's quick nod let him know that he understood where Spike was going. "She can't miss many more days before CPS comes knocking again. Mrs. Cartwright called yesterday to check up. I told her that Dawn was bad off, and that her sister had caught the same illness, which was why she had to talk to me. She said she understood, but that kids could only miss so many days in a row without a mandatory house call by the government."

"We can't let that happen. Willow's not going through that glamour spell again, and we're no closer to rebuilding the Buffybot than we were a week ago." Spike nodded his agreement with Xander's assessment. Xander, in his one useful moment since Buffy's brief return, had taken the pieces of the Buffybot back to his and Anya's place to see if they could do anything to put it back together. When last Spike had seen it, they had somehow managed to make the Buffybot look worse than when Razor's gang had destroyed it initially.

"What're you doin' out this late, anyhow? And where's your _demonic_ half?"

"Anya and I, uh, had a fight. She threw me out until I…, well, until I fixed some things." She had thrown him out because she claimed that he was neglecting his friends and making things worse by not being there for them.

"_You're just afraid of dealing with your emotions. They need you, Xander_," she had said. He wished that he'd listened to her instead of responding the way he did.

"_What do you know? You've been a demon so long you've forgotten what human emotion feels like anyway, if you ever knew to begin with!"_ He knew that he had screwed up then because her eyes started to water. The next thing he knew, he was out in the hallway, listening to the door lock with his keys still inside. She'd yelled at him some more, then told him not to come back until he got in touch with _his_ emotions. He was on his way to the bar, but decided that he'd check up on everyone else first. By what Spike had just told him, maybe Anya had been right.

"Well, the couch is mine, so you're stuck with the Comfy Chair."

"Hey, you're not even sleeping anytime soon! That's not-" he was cut off by Spike's raised eyebrow. "Alright, alright, the chair it is." Spike grinned when Xander stood up to get a pillow and blankets. After Xander had settled in and had stopped rustling around, Spike resumed his nightly vigil over the Summers home.

A young blonde woman walked out of the Bronze alone, staggering from drinking far too much alcohol. She stuck her hand out to steady herself against a brick wall.

* * *

"Stupid Jennifer, real stupid," she muttered to herself. She had intended to only have one or two drinks, but she met up with Theresa and that always ended poorly. "_At least I was smart enough to leave when I did"_, Jennifer thought to herself. She only had to make it a few blocks back to her apartment and she'd be okay. She walked a few dozen yards before she heard a rustling behind her. She quickly turned around to view what was behind her, but she couldn't see anything. The girl reached up unconsciously and fingered the Star of David pendant she wore around her neck. She was about to keep going when she heard something in the opposite direction. She spun towards the noise, only to be greeted by the sight of a monster.

Standing before her was a creature that was nine feet tall and just as wide. The creature's torso was covered in dull black scales that extended to cover its head. A catlike paw whipped up to send the girl sprawling to the ground. Before she could recover her breath, the creature pounced atop the young woman and quickly bit down on her throat. The creature reared its head back, taking the girl's windpipe with it. The only noise that the blonde could make was a slight gurgling as she was slowly mauled by the creature atop her. She died long before the monstrosity was done tearing her apart.

A sudden noise, the sound of more young people leaving the Bronze, drew the creature's attention, and it stalked off into the night in search of more prey.

* * *

The sun broke through the kitchen window, alerting Spike to the fact that the new day had arrived. As he stood up, he saw Tara walking into the kitchen. She gave him one of her shy smiles and went to the pantry to grab something to cook. If there was any upside to the whole situation, it was that Tara had started branching out from sandwiches and pancakes. The girl knew how to satisfy. Even Spike had to admit that she could make some mean buffalo wings. A loud snore from the living room caused Tara to start and look questioningly at Spike.

"Anya threw carpenter boy out last night so he had to crash here."

"Oh," Tara said quietly, nodding her head before drawing her eyebrows together in consternation. She looked towards Spike, who just shrugged. Tara nodded her head again before she picked up the last clean pan in the house.

"Any progress with Red?" Spike asked to fill the silence. Tara's shoulders slumped at the mention of her lover, answering Spike's question. As Tara turned toward Spike, someone laid a hand on her shoulder. Tara's eyes followed the hand back to its owner and saw Xander. His hair was dishevelled, and his eyes were puffy from sleep.

"Is it really that bad?" Tara nodded slightly in response.

"We could have r-really used your help this past week." It was Xander's turn to nod.

"I know. I'm sorry. I should've been here, but it was just too hard, ya' know?" Xander's voice was low and filled with guilt.

"It wasn't easy for the rest of us," Tara responded. She looked around the kitchen as if to emphasise her point. Xander looked around with her, seeing the mess the place was in. He hadn't really noticed it when he had come in the night before.

"Yeah, well, that's why I'm here. To help."

"Really, I thought you were here because Anya thr-"

"Shut up Spike." Xander cut off Spike midsentence. Instead of saying anything further, Spike merely smiled. He noted that Tara had a slight smile as well. Not one of her shy smiles, but a genuine smile, the kind that would warm his heart, if it still beat. It had been awhile since he'd seen it. "Do you mind if I go up and talk to her?" Xander sought Tara's approval before going to see Willow.

"No, not at all. Let me go make sure she's d-dressed."

"Hey, don't go through all that trouble for me, now." Xander's witty rejoinder drew another smile and a blush from Tara while Spike chuckled a bit himself. Before walking into their room, Tara turned to Xander and spoke in soft tones.

"We really have missed you, you know. She's missed you. She's blamed herself for pulling Buffy out of h-heaven, for casting that spell. I... I can't get through to her." Seeing the pain on Tara's face, and knowing that he could have done something to alleviate it made Xander's insides churn. It also alerted him to how bad things might really be on the other side of the door.

"I'll get through to her," Xander said in a serious tone, before changing his voice subtly to add, "especially if she isn't wearing anything." Xander quirked his eyebrows and Tara laughed quietly before going inside the room and closing the door.

Tara looked over to her lover and saw the rising sunrays lighting up Willow's red hair. She looked every bit the goddess Tara thought she was. She stood still for a moment, drinking in the sight of her lover wreathed in sunlight, before moving into bed next to her.

"Willow, baby, it's time to wake up." Tara spoke softly while stroking Willow's face. When Willow stirred, she turned her head toward Tara. She lightly brushed her lips over Tara's before opening her eyes. She gazed deep into Tara's eyes before smiling. These were the times that Tara had cherished most the last week; just after Willow woke up but before she remembered that she had placed herself in a prison of her own remorse. Before she got to that point, Tara spoke again.

"Baby, Xander's outside. He wants to talk to you." Willow made a quizzical face, but nodded slowly. "Get dressed, and I'll send him in." Willow looked down and realised that she wasn't wearing her pajamas. She blushed a bit, but then smiled faintly at the look in Tara's eye. Then she remembered why she wasn't wearing her pajamas. She had been wearing them when Buffy came back and borrowed her body, and she had refused to wear them since. Tara could see Willow's mood shifting to the ever depressed state that it had been in for a week, and quickly got up to grab her lover some clothes. Willow got up and got dressed in the clothes Tara had handed her. Tara gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room. As she stepped out, her eyes met Xander's.

"Bring her back to me," Tara said in a very low, sad voice, before going down the hallway, leaving the door open. Xander slipped in and looked at Willow. Her face was drawn and reserved, and she just nodded to acknowledge Xander.

"Hey, Willster, how've you been?" Willow just looked at him, as if to say 'can't you tell', and Xander knew he was in for a long day.

As Tara came back down into the kitchen to start breakfast, Spike stood up and grabbed a mug of blood and put it in the microwave. After it hit his preferred time, Spike withdrew his cup. He raised it in salute to Tara, said, "Cheers, luv," and started drinking as he made his way to the basement. Before he got to the entrance, he heard footsteps coming down from the second floor.

"Mornin', Nibblet," Spike said cheerily, moving to greet Dawn before heading downstairs to sleep.

"How did you know it was me?" Dawn asked as she got to the foot of the stairs.

"Vampire hearin', luv. Your steps were to light to 'ave been Carpenter boy, and Red hasn't come out of her room in a week." Dawn just shook her head at his explanation, to which Spike just smiled before continuing on towards the basement. When he got to the entrance, he turned to Dawn. "Tomorrow is Monday, bit. Gear up to go to school." Dawn turned to him, drawing herself up for an argument.

"Spike, I'm not-"

"Look, pet, one of the last things your sister did on this earth was to make sure you stayed in _this_ house, with _these_ people. If you miss any more school, you'll be throwin' her hard work right out the window. Do you want that?" She stared him down defiantly, before finally hanging her head. The pained look that flitted across Dawn's face hurt Spike more than he thought it would, but he had to get his point across. He looked towards Tara, who nodded her agreement.  
"G' night, ladies. I'm off to catch some shut eye."

Dawn moped her way to the kitchen table and sat down. By the smells starting to pervade the room, she knew that Tara was cooking eggs and bacon. She took a good look around the room and saw just how dirty the house had become. She was the one who did the dishes most of the time, and she hadn't done that particular chore since Buffy came back.

Buffy. Dawn knew her sister wouldn't want her moping about like this, and Spike had told her as much on a number of occasions, but she couldn't muster up enough courage to care. She'd lost her mother, her dad was nowhere to be found, and now she'd seen Buffy go twice to the great beyond. At least she knew that her sister was in a better place. Dawn was lost deep in thought when a crashing sound came from upstairs.

"Willow!" shouted Tara, as she sprinted from the stove up the stairs towards her and Willow's room. Dawn jumped up and ran after her. By the time the girls had reached the door, Spike was right behind them. There were muffled noises coming from inside the room. Tara yanked open the door, and she, Dawn, and Spike were stunned by the sight in the Wiccans' room.


	3. Family: Act II

_AN/ I'm flying without a beta right now, so if anyone spots any problems (or if you can suggest a good beta), please let me know. Reviews/criticism greatly appreciated!_

"Hey, Wilster, how've you been?" The daggers Willow's eyes shot into him told Xander the answer to his question. "That good, huh? Well, I think I can top anything you've got to throw at me." Willow just stared at him.

"What could be worse than dragging your friend out of heaven?" Willow eventually responded.

"Oh, that's easy," came Xander's casual reply. "_Anya_ thinks I need to show some emotion."

"Oh. Well, that's good. That's…" Willow trailed off into silence for a moment, before shaking her head in a double take and saying, "Wait, what?" Xander smiled, thinking that this wouldn't take nearly as long as he thought.

"Oh, yeah. She was real big with the yelling and the kicking-me-out-of-my-apartment antics." Willow's eyebrows drew together in sympathy. "Apparently, I'm bringing her down because I'm bringing _myself _down because I'm a lousy friend. " Xander's voice took on a serious tone. "I'm so sorry, Will. I shoulda' been here for you, and I wasn't. I know that I was one of the ones pushing you cast that damn spell in the first place, so I know what you're feeling; you're not alone. There's no way we could have known, about where she was. We did what we thought was right, what she would have done for us." Willow's eyes started to water, like she was about to start crying again, and she took a step towards Xander, who moved to embrace her. However, Willow's foot caught on the hem of her skirt and she fell into his arms. This unbalanced Xander, who tried his best to keep them both upright and he failed miserably.

They staggered to the right, knocking the lamp off of the nightstand and sending it clattering to the ground, where it shattered upon impact. Another quick step to the right, and the pair soon joined the lamp on the floor.

"Are you alright?" Xander asked while trying to disentangle his body from Willow's.

"I'm not used to wearing clothes." Willow's simple statement caught Xander so off guard, he didn't have a witty zinger to respond with. When Willow understood what she had said, she began to blush a deep shade of red. "No, that didn't come out right. I mean, I'm not used to wearing them in the _morning_." When Xander raised his eyebrows, Willow realised that she wasn't making any headway in recovering from her embarrassment.

"You've been having _far_ more fun than Tara led me to believe." Xander punctuated his statement by waggling his eyebrows at Willow. She blushed even more furiously before she began to laugh. Xander quickly joined her, their laughter somewhat muffled by the floor and their close proximity to one another. As they continued laughing, the door to the room burst open, revealing the stunned faces of Dawn, Tara, and Spike. Seeing the confusion written on their faces, the duo tried to explain the situation through their bouts of laughter.

"We fell because- hah-ha- because Willow was wearing cl-hah-heh- clothes," Xander managed to exclaim. Seeing the confusion was only deepening, Willow attempted to help.

"No, b-heh-eh- because I'm not _used_ to wearing them," Willow blurted before bursting into a new peal of laughter before finishing her sentence with, "i-in the morning." Dawn and Spike both turned their head to look at Tara, whose face had began to resemble Willow's hair colour.

"It's not like th-that! She j-just hasn't been w-wearing p-p-pajamas lately." Tara's response sent Xander over the edge, laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. Willow had sobered up slightly and was beginning to stand up. Tara walked over to her and helped Willow stand up. Spike just shook his head and went back downstairs and into the basement. Dawn followed him down the stairs but veered back in to the kitchen to check on breakfast.

After he had stopped laughing, Xander was helped up by Tara. Then, when she was sure he had his footing, Willow walked over and gave him a hug.

"You good? Are you gonna' come out and play now?" Willow looked over to Tara and saw the hopeful look on her face.

"Yes, Xander, I'll come out now." Xander smiled into Willow's hair as she gave her answer. Tara's face lit up like Willow hadn't seen in a long time. She made a silent promise to herself to never let her love down like that again. They broke the embrace and Tara stepped in to hug Xander herself.

"Thank you," Tara whispered into Xander's ear, who nodded in response. "Okay," Tara began after she had let go of Xander," let's go get some breakfast".

* * *

Giles put down the book he had been reading as a voice boomed over the loudspeaker "_British Airways flight 130 now boarding_". Giles stowed his book in his bag, then stood up and walked to the newly formed boarding line. He looked out at the sun just starting to break through the gloomy weather of the last few days.

Giles removed his glasses and began to polish them, reflecting on the events of the past few hours. He had called in a lot of favours to find out what he needed to know, and they all led him to the same place. Giles knew that a fight was in his future, and had done everything he could to prepare himself accordingly.

* * *

Dawn finished putting the last dish away in the cupboard. It had taken her well over an hour to wash all the dishes that she had let accumulate over the last week. Dawn had forgotten how cathartic performing menial tasks could be. She had used the time to relax and think out her problems, and came to the conclusion that it was time to stop acting like a child. She would go to school tomorrow, trudge through her classes, catch up on her homework, and be a general good student. That was the plan, anyway. Dawn had never been a great student, even in the best of circumstances.

Dawn looked around the now empty house. Xander had gone back to his apartment to reconcile with Anya. Willow and Tara had gone out for 'girl things', whatever that meant. Spike was still in the basement sleeping. He'd probably have a fit if he found out that she was home alone. Well, alone while he was sleeping, anyway. Dawn smiled to herself. She liked the thought that a guy was so caught up in _anything_ about her, even if that guy was _way_ older than her, and was concerned mostly with her safety. Still, it was nice to know that the opposite sex cared about her. Dawn knew Xander cared, too, but he hadn't been around much lately, whereas Spike had left her side only to sleep.

Dawn was wandering what Spike would think while she was away at school when there was a knock on the front door. Dawn opened the door to see a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. She had curly raven hair, striking brown eyes and a disarming smile, which the woman turned on Dawn.

"Hello," the woman prompted to fill the silence. Dawn realised that she'd been staring and blushed a little.

"Uh, hi?" Dawn had been caught off guard, and she hid it poorly. The woman's smile widened.

"I'm looking for Willow Rosenberg. Is she in?" As she asked the question, the woman raised her hand toward a pendant she had on a necklace. Dawn's eyes were drawn to the movement and then to the pendant itself. Dawn thought that it looked like a ninja star with wavy lines coming out of its indentions, encased in a circle of silver. The woman caught Dawn staring at it. "Do you like it? It's the symbol of the ancient Babylonians. It represents the love between Sin, Ishtar, and Shamash." Dawn just nodded her head, not familiar with the names and only half listening in the first place. After a moment of silence, the woman cleared her throat to draw Dawn's attention. Dawn blushed even brighter, silently berating herself for not paying better attention.

"Uh, no, Willow's not home. She went out with her girlfriend." The woman raised an eyebrow at the indication of Willow being gay. Dawn thought everyone knew that Willow was gay. Then it occurred to Dawn that the woman had asked for Willow Rosenberg, not plain Willow. It should have raised the warning bells in Dawn's head earlier. "What did you say your name was?"

"Innana. Don't tell Willow that I came by; I want it to be a _surprise_." Something about the way she said surprise got Dawn's hackles up. The blush had left her face and a hard look took its place. If the woman noticed it, she didn't let it show. She flashed Dawn another smile and turned away, heading back down the walkway back to her car. Dawn paid extra attention to the car but couldn't tell what make the vehicle was. It looked foreign and expensive, like something her father would drive. Dawn was temporarily taken aback by the thought of her father popping back into her head. She shook her head, went back inside and locked the door behind her. She suddenly wished that everyone had cell phones. She would have to talk Willow about looking into that.

Dawn sat down and started thinking about the woman she had just encountered. She wrote the name that she gave her, Innana, on a sheet of paper so that she wouldn't forget. After awhile, she decided to wait for everyone else to get back and got up to finish cleaning the house.

* * *

Willow and Tara walked into the Summers home arm in arm and with wide smiles on their faces. Laughter filled the house, alerting Dawn to their return. She went downstairs and saw them staring at the cleanly condition of the house. Tara broke away from Willow and walked open mouthed into the kitchen. When she came out, she just stared at Dawn.

"Are we in the right house?" Tara asked Dawn playfully. Dawn smiled proudly.

"I dunno, how many houses are shared by a vampire and two lesbian witches?" Willow and Tara both laughed and looked lovingly at each other, making Dawn smile. Then she frowned, remembering the Innana woman from earlier. "Willow, do you know anyone named Innana?" Willow looked away from Tara and towards Dawn.

"No, I don't think so. Why?"

"Well, a lady came by earlier asking if you were in. She was kind of foreign looking, exotic like." Willow turned to Tara, who shook her head. Then Willow shrugged her shoulders and started to look back around the house when Dawn spoke up again. "She said she wanted to _surprise_ you," Dawn said in her best imitation of Innana's voice. Willow noted the strange affectation Dawn used and turned back towards her. Tara drew her eyebrows together, not liking the way Dawn repeated the words either.

"She smelt of Jasmine and death." Everyone was startled by Spike's voice. Spike punctuated his sentence by lighting up a cigarette.

"How-" Willow was quickly cut off by Spike.

"Cause I can still smell it, by the doorway." Spike emphasized his words by nodding towards the door and puffing on his Morely. "That is, of course, assuming that neither of you love birds started wearing exotic perfumes and visiting slaughter houses in your spare time." When Willow crinkled her nose and Tara shook her head, Spike knew he had been right. "Right, then. Seems like we've got a new player in town. Gunnin' for Red here, by the sounds of it. You notice anything else, bit?"

"Yeah. She drove a red car. Looked like a Ferrari or Lamborghini or something," Dawn responded. "It looked expensive." Dawn walked over to Spike and took his cigarette out of his hand to be put out in the kitchen.

"I'll bet," Spike said, as he alternated staring longingly at his disappearing smoke and glaring at Dawn's retreating form. "Piss anyone off lately, Red?" Spike knew the answer as soon as he asked it. Willow hadn't even come out of her room the past week, let alone left the house. Willow's glare simply reaffirmed Spike's conclusion. "So, it's either a new threat…"

"Or an old one," Willow finished for him. "Let's see if we can find out anything. I'll look on the internet for anything suspicious lately."

"Look for high pr-profile stuff," Tara said. When everyone looked at her, she explained further. "Well, if she's driving around in an expensive car, she wants to be n-noticed, right?" Spike nodded in appreciation of her assessment.

"Good call. I dunno how Red's gonna connect those dots, but it's a bloody good idea." Willow nodded in agreement, even though she wasn't sure how to go about doing it. Then, an idea struck her.

"How long ago did she leave?" Willow's question, voiced in the animated way that only Willow could pull off, didn't make much sense to Dawn. She drew her eyebrows together before responding.

"Uh, an hour or so ago. Why?"

"Traffic cameras. We can backtrack her using the Sunnydale Police traffic cams. Would you recognise the car if you saw it again?" Willow's question was answered by a nod of Dawn's head. "Great. Give me a few minutes to hack into the SPD mainframe and we'll get started. Tara, baby, why don't you and Spike check and see if anything suspicious has been happening lately. Sunnydale suspicious," Willow threw in, catching the hint of sarcasm in Spike's eyes and cutting him off with a flash of her tongue. Spike grinned anyway and went off with Tara to grab her computer and start a search of their own.

* * *

Innana walked up to the front door of a large house, taking note of everything and checking to see if anything was out of place. When she was satisfied that nothing suspicious waited for her on the other side, she unlocked the door.

"Honey, I'm home," she called out, voice sultry and luring. The responding silence made her frown slightly. She walked through the kitchen towards a doorway. She opened it and descended into darkness. Upon reaching the floor, she took out a match and lit it, then held it to a black candle until the wick lit. The room was bathed in the warm glow of firelight. She took a few steps forward, illuminating a large circle of blood. The circle housed a design, also in blood, that perfectly matched her pendant. Inside the circle was a woman, bound and chained to anchors set in the floor. "Still nothing, hmm? I'll have to change that." Innana kicked the helpless woman, hoping for a moan, a scream, anything to let her know that the woman was in pain. Instead, the woman responded by spitting upon Innana.

"You'll never break me, monster." Despite the pain she must have been in, the woman refused to let it show. Even her voice gave nothing away, infuriating Innana further.

"Oh, I don't need to break you, Zelda, I just need to kill you. And I will, when the stars are right." Innana punctuated her sentence by kicking Zelda into unconsciousness. The blood slowly drained away to the edge of the circle where it was whisked magically to all portions of the sigil equally, keeping it fresh. Innana cleaned off her designer shoes and blew out the candle, leaving her unconscious prisoner in total darkness. "Back to work," she muttered to herself, and walked towards the opposite end of the basement. There, she took her pendant in her hand and pressed it to an indention in the wall. The wall vanished, leaving a portal of pale white light.

Innana stepped through the portal to the other side. There, she held her hand out and beckoned into the distance. "Our work is not yet done, muš-ḫuššu. Come, let us continue." She beckoned again, and this time a large creature ambled into view on catlike paws, black scales glistening. "Ah, your luster is returning! Not long now, not long at all." She ran her hand along the creature's chest as she spoke. For its part, the creature emitted a low purring sound and flashed its razor teeth in semblance of a smile. It made for a ghastly sight. "Yes, not long now, indeed."

* * *

After several hours of work, and the interruption of Xander and Anya showing up to help after Willow had called them, they had determined who the car had belonged to, had being the operative word, and not much else.

"I don't think Mr. Rabinowicz is going to notice his car is missing. What, with the being dead and all," Xander commented dryly. Anya nodded in agreement.

"Oi, what've you got against us dead blokes?" Spike said, to try and rile up Xander. Xander just stared at him a moment. When Spike realised that Xander wasn't going to take the bait, he smiled to himself anyway.

"Wait, what was his name?" Tara asked.

"Er, Rabinowicz? Am I pronouncing it right? Willow, help a brother out." Xander turned a pleading look Willow's way, who couldn't help but pretend to be offended.

"Xander, are you implying that my Jewishness grants me the magical ability to pronounce all Jewish names correctly?" Xander, however, was prepared for just such a remark.

"It doesn't? My worldview has crumbled!" Xander did his best to look wounded after Willow threw a couch pillow at him.

"Jerk," Willow muttered under her breath, drawing a smile from everyone in the room, except Tara, who frowned deeply.

"Uh-oh," she said, causing everyone to look towards her.

"What uh-oh. No uh-oh's allowed," Dawn stated matter of factly.

"I've found several deaths by mutilation over the last few weeks. Nothing new for Sunnydale, but this time they all have something in common."

"Big, honkin' bite marks?" Xander asked, drawing a groan from Willow and Dawn.

"Aside from the obvious. Their names. Baby," Tara directed towards Willow," someone's killing Jews."

"Well, that is definitely not of the good," Xander said in a serious tone.

"B-but, I'm barely even Jewish! I mean, I'm not _religiously_ Jewish, just ethnically. S-so, I don't count, right? They're not gonna' come after me." Willow's voice managed to be both frantic and meek at the same time. Tara quickly stood up to embrace the woman she loved.

"Why would Vampires want to go after Jewish people?" Dawn asked, then added, "More than any other person, anyway."

"Their blood's rich," Spike said with a smirk. When everyone stared at him in shock or horror, his smile faded. "Oh, sod off, the lot of you; _that_ was funny." Then he walked back downstairs to the basement to smoke in peace. After everyone had recovered from Spike's crass comment, they returned to the data.

"Are you sure Tara?" Xander asked. Tara nodded sadly in response. "Man, that's just… so, we've got to track us down this bloodsucker and stake 'em. Any ideas?"

"Tara's traffic camera idea should work again. If we cross reference the time of death off of the coroner reports with the location of the attack and the camera's there, that should give us our perp." The open mouthed stares that had followed Spike now were fixed upon Dawn. "What?"

"When did you go all CSI: Sunnydale on us Dawnster?" Xander questioned the teen.

"Hey, I can be useful too, ya' know!" Dawn's offended tone brought a smile to Xander's lips.

"No argument here. So, does that sound like something you can do ladies?" The determined nods from Willow and Tara said all that needed to be said. "Okay, I'm going to pick up my fiancé from work and I'll be back soon. Oh, I'll bring food, too." The end of his sentence was well received with nods and stomach growls. With that, Xander walked out of the Summers' house and got into his car, driving off to the Magic Box.

* * *

Spike stood in the basement stairwell, listening to the conversation while smoking a cigarette in silence. When he heard Dawn come up with her plan, he smiled. "Good for you," he said quietly enough not to be heard.

Dawn had started to come out of her shell towards the end of the summer, revealing a bright and capable young woman. Spike had feared that the recent re-emergence and loss of Buffy would have sent the girl back into a state of melancholy, and the past week had done nothing to alleviate that fear. Today, Spike thought that he could put those fears to rest very soon. Dawn was growing up, turning into a beautiful woman. That particular thought stopped Spike in his mental tracks. He had never before taken notice of how Dawn looked, how attractive she was. Her long brown hair down to her waist, her captivating doe eyes, her long legs, her budding—

"No!" Spike half yelled. This was his charge, his ward, and he would not allow himself to think of her that way. He had promised that he wouldn't let anything hurt her, and that included himself. "Bloody hell, I've gotta' get out of this _sodding_ place more often," he murmured to himself. He descended the stairs to enter the basement proper, going to the mini fridge he had 'obtained' during the summer and pulled out his last bottle of beer. He hadn't left the house at all during the last week, and he was running sorely short of supplies. As he was about to pull the cap off, a noise from the top of the stairs drew his attention.

"Spike, is everything alright? We heard you shout, so…" Dawns voice trailed off, awaiting a response.

"S'all right, luv, I just saw I was..," Spike paused momentarily, trying to come up with an excuse while also trying to keep his eyes from roaming over Dawn's body. Then, a thought struck him. "… out of beer is all. I haven't had time to go out and restock, what with babysitting you lot."

"Rrrriiight. Okay, so, I'm going back upstairs now."

"Right, then, luv," Spike said. He watched her walk back up the stairs before he uncapped his beer and took a deep swig. "Yep, definitely need to get out more."


	4. Family: Act III

**A/N:**_ I'm happy to report that this updated version of Act III comes courtesy of Anaiya Illyria, who I'm thrilled to say is back beta-ing for me. A thousand thanks, Anaiya!  
_

"Eureka!" A jubilant Dawn squealed to all the gathered Scoobies. The remnants of Chinese food, Xander's provided meal, were jarred across the table as many hands and heads jerked in surprise when Dawn broke the silence.

"Does anyone even say that anymore," Willow muttered aloud.

"What'd you find, Dawnster?" a freshly awakened Xander yawned out.

"I was able to track the car that left here to a final stoplight at Alamogordo Avenue and Flint."

"That's, what, the south side of town? What's a vampire doing in the 'burbs," Xander wondered aloud.

"I always said that the 'burbs were hell," Spike snarked quietly.

"Yes, and probably living in my dream home," Anya said matter of factly, a dejected look on her face.

"Wait a tic, you said that this bird walked up to the door and knocked?" When his question was met with an annoyed look from Dawn, Spike continued. "Walked right up in the middle of _broad daylight_ and just rung the bell? She didn't happen to be wearin' a nice, thick blanket as part of her attire, I take it." When everyone else realised what Spike was hinting at, a collective groan rose through the Scooby ranks.

"Guys, I'm so sorry! I didn't even think…" Dawn began, but was cut off by Tara.

"No, we all thought vampire. We read grizzly night-time murders and immediately thought of our normal night prowlers."

"Guess we all kind of forgot about the whole daylight issue," Xander added soothingly.

"Well, Nibblet still has our best clue. It's almost dark out; I say we all head to the street Dawn gave us and split up. The car's gotta be parked in some rich sod's driveway." Spike looked to Willow, who had become de-facto leader during the summer months, and he hoped that she would fall back into that role now. Sure, he was capable, but Spike didn't want the responsibility, and with Giles back in the homeland, no one else was better suited. Thankfully, Willow seemed to pick up the hint.

"We go in pairs," she stated. "Tara, baby, you're with me. Xander with Anya and Spike with Dawn. "

"You mean I get to go?" Dawn could barely contain her excitement. It wasn't often that she got to out 'hunting' with the rest of the Scoobies.

"Well, you're bloody well not stayin' here all by your lonesome. I can keep you safe from the nasties, Bit, but only if you're with me." The way he said it, so confident, washed away any doubts that any of them might have had about taking Dawn into the field. "Right then. Grab some weapons and let's move."

* * *

The sun had been down for over an hour by the time the Scoobies reached their destination. Xander had managed to squeeze everyone into his car for an uncomfortable, but quick, ride. He found an inconspicuous place to park the car for a few hours and did so, hoping that his jalopy wouldn't be too out of place in this high class neighbourhood. After everyone had crawled out of the car they walked over to the intersection Dawn had directed them to.

"So, any guesses from here," Spike directed at Dawn. She looked around for a minute, recalling details about the Inanna woman and thinking about which houses looked like her style. She eventually settled on south.

"Spike and I will go down Flint that way," she indicated southward with her hand. When she got a raised eyebrow from Spike and quizzical look from Willow, she added, "if that's okay?"

"Fine by me, pet. South it is."

"Tara and I will go this way," she pointed north on Flint. "Xander?"

"I figure me and An will stay on Alamogordo going west. Meet back here in half an hour?" His proposal was met with several nods and then the duos all went their chosen directions. "Meet back here in half an hour," Xander turned and shouted back towards the departing figures of his friends. When he was satisfied that they had heard him, he took Anya's hand and headed west.

As Xander and Anya walked on, a description of Inanna's car foremost in their thoughts, Xander let his mind wander a bit. He thought back on how he had treated Anya recently. The sudden return of Buffy had rocked everyone to their core, and she had been there for him. He had repaid her poorly, yelling at and insulting her. That was no way to treat the woman of his dreams and his future wife.

Wife. The word would not stop troubling Xander. His experiences with marriage, mostly that of his own family, were enough to drive even the most experienced marriage counsellors to drinking. He looked at the few good examples of relationships in his life and saw that none of them had diamond rings involved, although he suspected that, if she could, Willow would ask Tara to marry her. Xander was never clear on how the law was with same sex marriages, and shook his head at the thought. Xander was never clear on many laws.

"What's wrong?" Xander was pulled from his thoughts by Anya's question. He didn't quite know why she was asking. His confusion must have been clear on his face. "You shook your head." _Anya had always been blunt and a woman of few words, unless money was involved_, Xander thought wryly.

"Nothing, An. I was just thinking about… about us and marriage, and how Willow and Tara will never have what we have."

"A penis in the relationship?" Anya's response almost brought Xander to his knees, he was laughing so hard. When he had recovered enough to speak, he turned to his fiancee.

"No, a wedding, complete with drunken family and freak demon friends in attendance."

"At this rate, neither will we." The anger and hurt in her voice surprised Xander. He knew that she was antsy to get the big day over with, but he didn't know how much it was bothering her.

"Babe, we'll get there. Tell you what; after we take care of whatever bad news is after Willow, we'll sit down and firm up our plans." The smile that reached all the way to Anya's eyes told Xander everything. _I thought I was the only one bothered by the pre-wedding jitters,_ Xander thought to himself. _Guess I was wrong._

"Oh, you will be getting much sex tonight!" Both Anya and Xander laughed awhile, walking hand in hand down the road, their task, and their fears, momentarily forgotten.

* * *

She couldn't keep her eyes off of Willow. Tara was so happy to see her love out and about, taking charge of things, the way she had been before Buffy's return only a few weeks ago. Willow was animated, so full of life, and it brought so much joy to Tara that she could hardly contain it. Willow must have noticed something because she stopped and looked at Tara.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"What? No, nothing's wrong." Her answer didn't seem to satisfy Willow, so Tara decided to elaborate. "I was just thinking."

"Oh?" The concern on Willow's face was replaced with a coy look. "What was going through that pretty little head of yours?" Due to the way that she said it, Tara couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Nothing like that. Or maybe, yes," she said teasingly, bringing a wide smile to Willow's face. "You need to do that more often. Goddess, you're beautiful." Willow blushed a bit as heat rushed to her cheeks. She was well aware at how much anguish she must have been causing Tara over the past week, and the added reminder, unintentional though it was, shamed her. She reached up and took Tara's head and held it softly in her hands. She stared lovingly into her lover's eyes, and then kissed her deeply, passionately. She held the kiss for as long as she could before drawing away, eyes darting swiftly to hold Tara's.

_I'm sorry_, Willow thought at Tara, and the blond girl nodded her understanding. As they stared deeply into one another's eyes, neither saw the form creeping up beside them. When they turned at the sound of a spell being cast, it was already too late. As the spell hit them, Tara went flying off to the side, landing in a bush that ran alongside the sidewalk. Willow hit the ground and skidded along the sidewalk itself, leaving various bits of cloth along the way. Small red streaks signalled that cloth wasn't the only thing damaged.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did that hurt?" A haughty voice called out to Willow as she struggled to rise. "I suppose that it doesn't matter anyway, you **Jewish filth**." The hatred in the woman's voice was like venom in Willow's ears. She stood up, her left arm dangling limply at her side. Her eyes met her assailants, brown and full of anger. She forced herself not to search frantically for Tara, knowing that any kind of distraction could cost her and Tara their lives. Willow steeled herself for the pain she knew was coming as she raised both her arms and began an incantation.

"Genitas," Willow shouted as she her arms completed their motions.

"Infitialis," Inanna said in response, dissipating Willow's spell before it hit her. While Willow stood dumbfounded that the woman in front of her could react so quickly, Inanna threw another spell her way. "Telum flamma!" An arrow of fire streaked towards Willow, who managed to turn to where the arrow did the least damage. As she hit the ground again, both arms in agony, Willow knew that she was in very big trouble.

* * *

Dawn couldn't hide her happiness at finally being a true member of the Scooby gang. Not that she was trying very hard. Thankfully, she was being quiet. It wasn't that Spike minded the sound of her voice, but it was more that he feared the attention that an obviously older man with an underage girl might bring in this part of town, and Dawn was well known for her loud voice. Loud voices at night in a neighbourhood like the one they were in drew attention, simple as that.

They had been walking for quite awhile now, over twenty minutes by Spike's estimation, and there hadn't been any sight of Dawn's mystery car. Spike decided that it was time to turn back it they wanted to be there when Xander's timeline expired. He had to admit, the little ponce had a good idea. In the absence of cell phones, the only other way to see if anyone went missing was to set up deadlines for their operations to end.

"Time to head back, bit. We don't want the boy wonder to worry about where we're at." Dawn shook her head helplessly as she turned to follow Spike back to their meeting place. As much as Spike had integrated himself into the Scoobies since the days of Glory, he still couldn't help but make fun of the rest of them, most notably Xander. Dawn wondered if it was some kind of male animosity thing or if it was something else. Maybe it was just his nature.

Then again, the insults had dropped off greatly over the past month or so, especially since the ordeal with Razor and his biker gang. Now, Spike seemed to content himself with giving everyone a variety of nicknames. It's true, he had rarely been on a first name basis with anyone, but the pet names had increased drastically of late. _Maybe it's a sign of affection? _Dawn wondered then, _why haven't I received any new nicknames recently?_ Dawn was surprised to find that she was a little put out to not be included.

"Spike, why do you have to call everyone by everything **but **their name?" _And why don't I have any fancy new names_, Dawn thought to herself. Spike looked at her and smiled.

"Don' know, pet. It's just the way it is. Why? You suddenly develop an aversion to 'em?"

"No, I was just… curious." _Or jealous_, she thought. _Wait, since when am I jealous of what Spike does?_ _It's not like I'm in to him, with his rock hard abs and tight…_ Dawn shook her head to clear it of the images gathering there. She was not going there with thoughts of Spike.

"Somethin' wrong, nibblet?" When Dawn turned to see Spike studying her intently, she blushed a deep red.

"N-no. Why would you think that?" Dawn managed to say without stuttering too badly. _God, I just go caught thinking about Spike. SPIKE! Ewwww._ Dawn could hardly believe where her thoughts had wandered. _I really need to find a boyfriend soon_, Dawn thought wryly.

"No reason, pet. Just curious is all." They walked on in silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts. They arrived back at Alamogordo and Flint and waited for a few minutes before Xander and Anya walked into sight.

"Ah, so Spike can follow directions after all," Xander quipped with mock enthusiasm.

"Get bent," Spike responded, punctuated by raising two fingers in Xander's direction. Everyone laughed and Spike lit up a cigarette.

"Looks like Willow and Tara took a detour," Xander said after awhile, a touch of concern evident in his voice.

"Maybe they decided to find someplace quiet and have sex." Everyone turned to look at Anya. "What, it could be true; you don't know. I'll have you know that sex outdoors can be quite freeing, right Xander?" Xander's face turned a little red and he seemed at a loss for words. Dawn covered her ears and turned to Spike.

"Can I have some mind bleach?" she asked, causing Spike to laugh.

"I think I'll have to use most of it me'self, luv." While Spike and Dawn laughed and Xander quietly reminded Anya about what was and wasn't appropriate information for sharing, a strong gust of wind carried some familiar scents to Spike. They were the scents of fear, blood, and the faintest traces of Jasmine.


	5. Family: Act IV

**AN**_: A thousand thanks to my betas, Anaiya Illyria and Orin Forever Crimson. You ladies make life easy!  
_

* * *

Spike rushed northward up Flint, the direction Tara and Willow had taken. While Dawn and Anya stood dumbfounded at the display of speed Spike put on, Xander was quick witted enough to understand the look that had passed across Spike's face.

"Willow," Xander cried out and chased after Spike as quickly as he could. Noting the panic in his voice, Anya and Dawn looked at each other open-mouthed before chasing after him.

Spike arrived at the battle scene to see a woman standing menacingly over Willow. The woman's face should have been beautiful, but it was twisted with a rage rarely seen outside of the demon world. Spike unleashed his vampiric side with a growl, hoping to distract the woman. When she looked up, Spike was none too pleased with what he saw. Her eyes were pure black, a sign that the woman before him was in a class of magic user that few ever reached. Still, he wouldn't let that deter him.

"Back off, bitch, or you're gonna be feedin' more than worms tonight." Inanna regarded Spike for a moment, before looking back down at Willow.

"Oh, it seems our little Miss Rosenberg has herself a guardian demon. Too bad for him, I have something better." The rustling of air was the only warning Spike had before a black form sent him flying across the street. Willow watched in shocked horror as a creature resembling a giant cat-dragon hybrid pounced upon the sprawled Spike before he had any chance to react. Inanna locked eyes with Willow before speaking again. "I've got a guardian **god**!"

Inanna's echoing laughter was impetus for Xander to run faster. When the chaos became visible to him, he lowered his shoulder and ran right into the oblivious Inanna. His effort was met with another laugh and a flash of red light as Xander went flying backwards.

"Foolish boy, did you not think I would be prepared for physical threats as well?" Xander's head was swimming so badly he didn't understand a word Inanna said as the glow around her faded. Willow's eyes began to well with tears as her second rescuer was swiftly incapacitated. She heard Spike struggling and cursing from across the street but she couldn't bring herself to look his way.

For his part, Spike was doing the best he could to defend himself from the attacks of the creature atop him. The beast's claws had already inflicted a great deal of damage to him, but Spike feared the creature's bite worse still. The teeth it displayed as it gnashed wildly were vicious indeed. Spike held the monster's head with both his hands, which caused the beast to continually rake Spike's chest and legs with its massive paws as it tried to free its head from the vampire's grasp.

When Anya and Dawn came onto the scene, Inanna's head whipped up as she regarded the duo. She stared at them a moment before speaking.

"Curious. One of you has a wealth of untapped power, the other the smell of power long faded." She paused long enough to smile wide before continuing. "Sadly for you, neither helps you now. Existo Reus!" Inanna let go of Willow, causing her head to smack the concrete with an audible thud, in order to complete her spell. A red glow reached out and enveloped Anya and Dawn, coalescing into a green goo and holding them fast in place. Both women fought to free themselves from their magical prisons, but couldn't accomplish much more than squirming. Inanna reached down to pick up the woozy Willow. "Now, Miss Rosenberg, if there are no more would be rescuers, we can continue. Say your prayers to your false god!"

As she drew a dagger hidden beneath her shirt and raised it above her head, a voice called out behind Inanna.

"Attero," shouted a wounded Tara. Her body was covered in scratches from being flung into a thick hedge, but she stood resolute. A force of violet energy raced from her outstretched hands and smacked hard into Inanna's back, sending her flying over Willow, beyond the trapped Dawn and Anya. Inanna landed with a sickening crack but her body was enveloped with the same red glow as before. This time however, it was a very faint red, not the fiery hue it had been the first time. As Inanna stood, pieces of concrete from the now shattered sidewalk fell from her body and landed in the small crater that her impact had caused.

"Oooo, a challenger. You'll have to better than that, hedge witch, if you want to save your friend." Inanna flexed her hands and readied herself for what she expected to be a brief battle of spellcasting prowess.

* * *

Giles stepped off of his plane and stretched his muscles. He looked around, as if expecting someone to meet him at the airport, but he knew that wouldn't be happening. A voice came over the loudspeaker, but Giles didn't pay it any mind. He had carried everything he needed on the flight with him, and he knew exactly where he was going.

Giles walked up to the customs official and displayed his passport. When the woman spoke, he was surprised to find that she had an English accent.

"Mr. Giles, what brings you to our country?" The woman was a few years younger than he was, with tan skin and hazel eyes. The lines around her lips and eyes led Giles to believe that she led a pleasant life, the kind of life he envied. He sighed inwardly before answering her question.

"I'm here on business matters relating to an adoption. I have all the necessary forms ready, if you'd like to see them?" The woman shook her head lightly, causing Giles to stop reaching for the relevant papers.

"That is not necessary, Mr. Giles. Your passport is in good standing; enjoy your stay." Giles thanked the woman before stepping through the customs exit. He walked out of the airport and began hailing a taxi. Eventually, a black and yellow car stopped to let him in.

"Dónde hasta? Er, where to?" The cab driver's English was thick with a Spanish accent. Giles found himself longing for dealing with the custom official, who spoke the Queen's English perfectly. He had to remind himself that he was not in London, no matter how much he wished otherwise.

"316 Pallars Street," Giles responded. The driver nodded his head and pulled onto the street. Giles riffled through his papers again, just to be certain he had everything he needed. He wasn't looking forward to what would certainly be a confrontation. Still, he knew it needed to be done, and set his resolve accordingly.

* * *

The air crackled around Tara as she deflected spell after spell. Inanna was growing increasingly more frustrated that the tall blonde before her refused to fall. She had moved out onto the street, bypassing the green blob obstacle that was Dawn and Anya. Tara had moved to stand in front of Willow, to shield her and keep her out of harm's way.

Willow was struggling to get up, but her wounds were making it difficult. Her arms were both useless and her head pounded from bouncing off of the pavement. She had managed to achieve a kneeling position, but even that small feat took more energy than Willow had to give. Tears streamed down her face as she lacked the energy to even turn around and watch as her lover defended all of their lives.

"Levitas!" Inanna's cry completed her spell, sending a red lightning bolt directly at Tara. The witch's wards deflected the majority of the power, but it could not protect Tara from all of the blast. Tara cried out and fell to her knees, wounded and completely spent. Inanna sneered as she moved in for the kill.

Spike struggled with the creature atop him. He had lost several pints of blood and was suffering the effects heavily. His limbs felt leaden and dead. Inanna looked over at him and called out, "You can give up any time, vampire. Muš-ḫuššu is a god. Quit wasting his time and die already." Spike growled low in response to Inanna's taunt while Inanna laughed and moved towards Willow and Tara. He knew that he wouldn't last much longer if he didn't feed in the very near future. Then, a thought occurred to him.

Spike altered his grip on the beast's neck, putting his arms on the opposite sides of its head. He then pulled his feet up under him. With all his remaining strength, Spike propelled himself up and onto the creatures back, using its head as a fulcrum. Spike twisted in mid-swing, landing with his chest on the monster's back. Then, he bit deep into the creature's neck and began nursing himself back to health using the blood of the beast below him. Spike held on tight as the fiend began to buck and sway, attempting to rid itself of the vampire on its back. Spike wrapped his arms around the maw of the thing, preventing any noise other than a growl from escaping.

As the blood began to flow into his veins, Spike found himself healing at a rate faster than he had ever experienced before, faster than even when he drank the Slayer's blood. Soon, he was stronger than he was when he started the day and growing stronger still. He knew that he should stop, go and help his friends against the powerful madwoman who had bested them all thus far, but he couldn't bring himself to stop drinking. Spike began to lose himself to the demon inside of him as the blood of a god intoxicated and strengthened him while pulling him deeper into the abyss with every drop.

* * *

Inanna stood directly in front of Tara, sneering down into Tara's upturned tear-streaked face. The blonde witch had nothing left to give, and Inanna knew it. She again reached into her clothes to pull out her ceremonial knife, causing Tara's eyes to widen in shock, then close tight in fear. As Inanna was bringing down the knife to connect with Tara's chest, she was hit from behind by a grey object. She staggered to the side before falling to her knees, dazed. She looked back towards her assailant to see Xander holding a chunk of cement, the debris from Inanna's earlier crash site.

"Stay away from my friends." Xander's voice was full of danger; none of the assembled Scoobies had ever heard anything like it coming from him. Inanna just smiled.

"You think that because you blindside me with a piece of concrete that it matters? Your friends don't have long, boy." Inanna stood up and began the motions of a casting. "Invict-ooph!" The air was knocked out of her lungs as again she was assaulted from behind, forcing her to the ground.

"Thing is, you probably shouldn't 'ave kept mentionin' that Mushu over there was a god. God-blood does wonders for the healin' process." Spike stood above her, glowing blue blood still dripping down his chin. He stared down at her, his eyes illuminated the same brilliant blue. Inanna looked frantically over to her companion to see its body lying motionless, head twisted at an impossible angle.

"Muš-ḫuššu!" Inanna cried out, hoping she would get a response. When none came, her head dropped in sadness. Then, she locked watery eyes with Spike. "You're a _monster_!"

"'ello, Pot. I'm Kettle. You've got a bit o' monster in _you_ if I can hit you without stars exploding in my head." Spike continued to stare at the woman below him. Inanna finally broke eye contact with the vampire so that she could survey the scene around her.

The two women she had ensconced in magic had begun to free themselves from their gooey prison. The blond witch looked as if she was regaining some of her strength and that Willow was getting her bearings back as well. With the presence of the vampire and the man wielding the concrete slab, her odds were looking slim. She had erred badly in first not doing her homework well enough on her target and then underestimating the group as they came against her. Inanna would only have one shot if she was going to escape with her prey.

She rolled to her left and then to her feet, narrowly avoiding the kick Spike threw at her head. She dodged past Xander's forceful but clumsy swing to land in front of Tara. Inanna threw a quick punch into the spent witch's side, sending Tara crumpling to the ground. Then she grabbed Willow by the hair and shouted out a final spell.

"Eo velox." As Inanna completed the command word, both she and Willow disappeared as a red mist enveloped them. Seconds later, both the mist and women had faded from view.

"No!" Tara and Xander cried out together when they realised that Willow was gone. Tara hung her head and sobbed loudly while Xander shook his head in shock. Anya moved up to comfort Xander while Dawn did the same for Tara. While they whispered reassuring words into the ears of their friends and loved ones, Spike closed his eyes and began to sniff the air.

He was picking up scents he couldn't recognise, as if the blue blood he had drank had contained something far more powerful than simple regenerative qualities. Spike shrugged mentally and planed on later seeing exactly what properties the blood had bestowed upon him, and for how long. First, he needed to track down Inanna. Spike focused inward, concentrating on the scents as they came to him. He filtered them out one by one until he had found the aromas he was searching for. When the scent of jasmine reached him, he knew he was on to something. When his nose picked up the hint of strawberries, he had found his targets.

"Oi, you lot! Quit your bellyaching and follow me." Everyone's head turned quickly to regard Spike. The looks they sent his way varied in emotion, from open mouthed shock to pure hatred. Spike just smiled wide. "I've found Willow."

* * *

Willow landed hard on the ground as Inanna let her grip on the red-head drop. Willow struggled to look around, but she couldn't see anything. She prayed that it was just that the room was dark and that her captor hadn't done anything more sinister to impede her eyesight. She groped about blindly for a moment before she received a sharp kick in her stomach. Willow let out and audible gasp as all the air vacated her lungs. She desperately tried to breathe as she began to cry.

"Stop snivelling, little jew-rat. It'll all be over for you soon." Inanna lit the candle she had previously left in the basement while she went about taunting Willow. As the candle threw a meagre amount of light around the room, Willow found that she wasn't alone with Inanna.

"I see you've found another woman to torment." The woman's voice was strong, despite her obviously poor condition. She sat in a heap, hair and clothes dishevelled and bloody. What skin the woman had showing was a mass of purple bruises.

"Zelda, I've brought you a playmate. If you ask nicely and bat your lashes, she might clean you up. It seems she plays for the _other team_." Zelda's nose crinkled at Inanna's suggestion but didn't let her distaste cloud her judgement. When her gaze met Willow's, there was nothing but pain and understanding in her eyes.

"I am sorry, child, that you must suffer for your birthright. It seems we are cursed simply because we were born Jewish." Her voice was soft and full of compassion. It reminded Willow of her mother. She suddenly found herself wishing that her mother would burst in the room and tell her everything would be all right. When Willow heard the sound of metal being drawn from a scabbard, she knew that it wouldn't be.

* * *

Spike led the battle-weary Scoobies down the road in silence and at as brisk a pace as was possible. Tara was wounded badly from her spell battle with Inanna, but she refused to be left behind. Dawn and Xander were helping her along. Xander wasn't in the best of conditions himself, but he didn't let it show. Ricocheting off of Inanna's spell shield had inflicted far more damage than he was letting on, and he knew if he didn't get help soon, he wouldn't be lasting much longer. His head swam and he was using Tara and Dawn for directional guides as much as he was lending his strength to hold Tara up.

"How much further, Spike?" Dawn could tell by the ever increasing amount of support Tara was requiring that they wouldn't be travelling very much farther. Spike stopped and pointed at a house a block ahead of them. Dawn followed his finger to the house and noticed that she recognised the car in the driveway. "That's the car!"

"Glad to hear it pet. Willow's scent is coming from that house. Well, under that house, anyway. Lots a' smells commin' from down there. We need to move fast." Spike apprised the battered group he was leading. Tara looked dead on her feet and Xander was bad off, if the scents coming off of him were any indication. While he knew that Anya and Dawn weren't _horrible_ in a fight, they were out of their league going into something like this. Hell, he was out of his league. Spike hoped that the blood that still had him glowing like a neon sign would provide enough leverage to get Willow and get out. He charged up to the house and kicked in the door. He moved to go in, but found himself barred at the entrance. "Bloody Hell!" Spike's anger made his eyes glow even brighter.

"What's wrong?" Dawn asked the question everyone felt, but she had the sinking feeling that she already knew the answer.

"I can't get into the soddin' house. I 'ad hoped that because she killed the car's owner that she had done the same to the house's. Seems I was wrong."

"Oh no," Xander said quietly. As much as he disliked Spike, Xander could never count him out of a fight. Given the state that they were in, he had been relying upon the vampire to carry the largest load in the coming confrontation. Without their big gun, everything looked far too gloomy.

"Sorry mate. I'll do what I can from out here," Spike indicated the outside of the house before continuing. "But in _there_, you're on your own."


	6. Family: Act V

**AN: ** _A thousand thanks to my beta, Orin Forever Crimson! Please R&R, but most importantly, enjoy!_

_

* * *

_

Xander held Spike's gaze before sorrowfully nodding his head. He looked over at Tara, the most powerful of the Scoobies able to go inside the house, and also the most wounded. Whatever spell Inanna had hit her with it was sapping her strength at a constant rate. Xander knew that he wasn't much better off himself. At least Dawn and Anya were in good shape. Maybe if he could distract Inanna long enough, they could sneak behind her and rescue Willow. As he started to formulate a plan, his head began to ache. He shook it away and focused his thoughts through the pain.

"Let's go." He motioned for Anya to take his place aiding Tara. As he stepped aside, Tara slumped to the ground despite Dawn's presence at her side. When Xander and Dawn reached down to grab her, she waved them away.

"N-no." When they both kept reaching for her, she put more emphasis behind her words. "NO!" Everyone looked down at her, waiting for an explanation. "I'll be no h-help in there. I'm too hurt. If we w-want any chance to rescue Willow, I can't d-drag you down. I'll do what I can up here, with Spike." There was pain in her voice, but she was resolute. Xander nodded and turned to Dawn and Anya.

"We need to move." With that, the three figures disappeared into the house, looking for a way downstairs.

Xander looked around for a light switch, hoping to find some way to brighten the darkened house. He had already bumped into several pieces of furniture, but he hoped it was because he couldn't see and not because of whatever damage he was suffering from. When light suddenly filled the room, he turned about quickly to survey the surroundings and locate who had provided the illumination. He saw several pieces of expensive furniture before his eyes came to rest on Dawn.

"I found the light," she said as cheerily as she could, putting on a hopeful smile. Xander managed to toss a meager smile her way before he continued to look around the home.

"This woman has many furniture items that would look good in our apartment, Xander. When we win, we should ask for one as payment for services rendered." Despite the situation, Xander couldn't help but chuckle quietly.

"That's my girl," Xander said softly. He continued to look around the house, searching for a way downstairs. He had to trust that Spike was right, that Willow _was_ downstairs. If Spike was wrong... Xander couldn't bring himself to finish the thought. Spike **had** to be right. Xander moved deeper into the house, leaving Anya to inspect the living room and Dawn to go in another direction.

For her part, Dawn walked into the kitchen. When she saw a door, she was reminded of her own home's layout, with the door to the basement being in the sitting room just past the kitchen. She moved towards and cracked open the door, hoping that it didn't make any noise. Sure enough, it opened without protest and appeared to lead downwards into darkness. She quietly shut the door and moved fast to get Xander and Anya.

"Anya, I found a way down," Dawn whispered quietly. At first, Anya cocked her head and looked at the girl. Then her eyes widened and she joined Dawn in the search for Xander. Thankfully, they didn't have to look long.

Xander hadn't made it very far. One room into his search and his head had begun to hurt again. He tried to shake it off, as he had earlier, but this time it only made things worse. He had sat down to try and recover and he must have blacked out. He was awoken by the vigorous shaking of Anya.

"We found the basement, we should-"

"_I_ found the basement," Dawn interrupted. Anya scowled over her shoulder at the younger woman before continuing.

"_She_ found the way down." Xander held up his hand and nodded. Standing was more difficult that Xander was used to but he managed to do it without help. Then he and Anya followed Dawn towards the basement.

* * *

Inanna had finished her incantations and stepped towards Willow with her knife drawn and a cruel smile on her face.

"It'll never work, you know." The voice of the woman, Zelda, halted Willow's kidnaper mid- stride. Inanna turned towards her other captive slowly, a maniacal look in her eyes.

"Oh? And why not, oh great Zelda. Pray, tell me why, when I slit the little bitch's throat, that my handiwork will not be complete." The menace in her voice made Willow try and shrink even further away.

"Because, you will never get that far." The calmness of her voice was infuriating Inanna to no end. She took a few steps towards Zelda before stopping right outside of the blood drawn symbol on the floor.

"And why is that," Inanna asked through clenched teeth.

"Because I believe that the young man behind you is going to hit you with a shovel." Inanna whipped her head around just in time to see a metal object glinting lightly with reflected candlelight zoom towards her head. And then, she saw nothing.

* * *

As the Scoobies slowly made their way down the stairwell into inky darkness, they heard a woman chanting words that made no sense to any of them. Xander looked to Anya while they still had light, hoping that maybe she understood the words, but she shook her head. As they reached the bottom, they could make out three female figures inside a dim circle of light. One was Inanna and the other was unknown to them. The third was Willow. She looked bad but she was still breathing, and that was all that mattered. While Inanna was still chanting, Xander motioned for Anya and Dawn to look about the room for any kind of weapons they could find. Everyone silently cursed themselves for not coming better prepared, even after Spike hold told them to weapon up before they left the Summers house. Next time, they would listen.

Xander groped about, hoping to find something he could swing, preferably more aerodynamic than the concrete slab he had used earlier. Anya searched about as well, and saw something gleaming weakly in the meagre light provided. She carefully tiptoed towards it to discover that it was a shovel. She picked it up and quickly made her way back to Xander.

For her part, Dawn studied the scene in front of her, looking for any way to sneak in and grab Willow. Inanna's back was to her but she was still facing Willow. Then Dawn noticed the other woman and tried to quietly get her attention. When she was certain that the other woman had seen her, she tried her best to communicate that they needed a distraction in order to save their friend. Despite the fact that Dawn was only using crude hand and face motions, and using them badly, the woman seemed to understand. When she nodded her head somberly, Dawn smiled wide and went back to try and"report" her success to Xander.

By the time the Scoobies had reunited after their brief separation, Inanna had stopped chanting. She moved menacingly towards Willow and Xander knew that he would never be able to get there in time. Before he could start running, the other woman in the radius of light spoke up, distracting Inanna from her target. Xander didn't know why it had happened, but he knew an opportunity when he saw one. He creeped closer and closer towards Inanna while the other woman kept her distracted.

Dawn and Anya moved to free Willow. When Willow saw them, tears of joy began to well in her eyes. When she was up and moving, she fought hard not let a sob escape as the three women made their way towards the stairs.

"Because I believe that the young man behind you is going to hit you with a shovel." Xander knew his moment had come, and reared back and swung with all his might. There was a brief flash of light red, the last remnants of Inanna's protective spell, and then her nose caved in with the might behind Xander's swing. She hit the floor hard, and when she didn't move, Xander allowed himself a small smile. Then, he looked to their newfound saviour, the woman whose distraction had made it all possible. She was an unkempt pile of rags and bruises, but she had an air of dignity about her.

"Thank you. Without you, Willow..." Xander's voice trailed off, not wanting to think about what might have happened. Thankfully, the woman spared him any further thoughts down that road.

"My pleasure. Now, do be a dear and help me out of this מְקוּלָל basement."

"This wha?" The confused Xander couldn't even begin to replicate the language the woman was speaking.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go upstairs." As they moved to leave, the woman stopped and motioned Xander towards the fallen body of their tormentor. "Put her in the Symbol of Shamash. We'll have nothing more to fear from her there." When Xander just looked at her, she pointed to the blood symbol from which he had just pulled her. Xander nodded, helped the woman to the wall so she could support herself and then rolled Inanna's unconscious form into the center of the symbol.

"How's that going to stop her? I just walked right in and pulled you out of it."

"Shamash's Symbol is the ultimate confining spell, however it has one massive flaw. If more than one person sets foot in it the spell ceases to function until such as time when there is only one inhabitant in the area of the spell. The spell's originator can generally come and go freely without affecting the spell, however, if there is no one else inside of the Symbol, it then recognises its caster as a target. The spell can't keep anyone out but it can keep any **one** in." Xander nodded and moved towards the woman to help her up the stairs.

"Why can't Willow ever explain it like that the first time?" Xander's comment drew a chuckle from the woman as they began ascending the stairs. "What's your name?"

"Zelda." The wounded woman nearly fell as Xander came to a sudden halt. When she looked over at him, Xander had a huge grin on his face.

"Zelda, I, Link, have come to rescue you," Xander said in the best 'hero' voice he could pull off. When Zelda raised her eyebrow at his comment, Xander just sighed. "No one ever gets my jokes," he said softly. "I'm Xander, pleased to rescue you."

* * *

"This waitin' is killing me!" Spike growled out. Tara, who was beside him managed a small, weak laugh.

"I... didn't know... that you... cared... Spike." The pauses in the woman's sentence shut down any witty remark the vampire may have had. He truly liked the witch, the woman named Tara. She was one of the few people who didn't treat him like a monster.

Spike could tell that she was in very poor condition. She seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness, and he knew that was a very bad sign. Out of frustration, he punched the semi-magical barrier that kept beings like him from entering homes uninvited. Strangely, a faint blue light sparked off of the area he punched. Intrigued, Spike began to pummel the area, hoping that he could somehow break through the barrier and hasten the rescue of Willow.

As he picked up intensity so too did the glow of the light. A minute in, his fists were making blinding flashes of blue light. Shortly thereafter, Spike threw a punch that had the momentum pulling him into the house behind it. He oriented himself, tossed a quick glance back at Tara, and charged in the direction that Willow's scent was coming from. As he reached the top of the stairwell leading down, the door was flung open to reveal Dawn leading Willow and Anya up and out the stairs.

"Spike? How did you get in?" Dawn didn't stop and wait for an answer. While she was honestly confused about Spike's presence in the house, she was more concerned about getting Willow out of the house and somewhere safe.

"I, uh, punched my way in." That statement did cause all three woman to stop and look at Spike, who just shrugged in return.

"Rigghhhht. Okay, so, we need to leave, like, now." Dawn continued to lead Anya and Willow out of the house. Spike turned to go into the basement to see what had happened when Xander and a woman came walking up the stairs. Spike didn't know her, but he did know that the entire house was permeated with her scent. She was obviously the owner.

"Everything alright?" Spike cocked an eyebrow while awaiting a response. Xander looked to the woman beside him to answer.

"Yes, everything is fine. I am, however, curious as to how a vampire has entered my home uninvited." The warmth that had filled the woman face and voice disappeared as she regarded Spike. Spike opened his mouth to give his answer again but Xander beat him to the punch.

"Oh, don't worry about Spike. He's with us." Xander's defense of Spike caused the woman to suddenly stop and shrug off his assistance.

"You willingly travel with vampires?" The incredulity of her tone was unmistakable.

"Reduce it to the singular vam**pire**, and yeah. Spike's on our side." Spike had never considered himself on any side other than his own. However, upon reflection he found that he was indeed on Xander's side, and Spike wasn't sure if he was content or disgusted with that fact.

"Then you most assuredly are not on mine. Get out of my house and never return." Xander was taken aback by the hostility in the woman's voice.

"Lady, we just saved your bacon down there! The least you can do is show some appreciation."

"_Thank you_." The way in which she said it told Xander that she was anything but thankful. "Now, leave my home!" Xander still had a shocked look on his face and was about to continue arguing with Zelda when Spike grabbed him by the arm and began to lead him outside.

"She's not worth it mate. 'Sides, the love birds need to get to a hospital, fast."

"Yeah, I think everyone needs a visit to the E.R. tonight." Spike couldn't help but grunt in agreement with Xander's statement as they exited Zelda's house to join the rest of the group. Then Spike caught a familiar scent on the wind and looked closer at Xander.

"That might be truer than you know."

"Why do you say that," an honestly curious Xander said as he turned to look at Spike.

"'Cause you're bleedin', mate." Spike said bluntly.

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know."

"You're bleedin' from your ears." Spike's words drew everyone's attention to Xander, making sure that he was right. Anya gasped when she saw just how accurate Spike was. Xander touched a hand to his ears and felt wetness. He then held his hand to his face to see his fingertips covered in his own crimson life force.

"Oh, that's nice," Xander quipped before his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he went crashing to the grass in a heap. He fell next to the still unconscious Tara and Willow who was kneeling beside her. Anya rushed to his side, checking for breath. When she turned a stricken look back towards Spike, he and Dawn exchanged glances.

"Night just gets better and better, luv."

* * *

Xander woke up in to an unfamiliar beeping noise. As he tried to swat it, thinking it was his alarm, he was met with a loud 'Cut it out!' in the distinct sound of Anya's voice. As he opened his eyes and looked around, he found that he was not in his apartment.

"Anya?" Xander found that his head hurt and his voice was weak, but he otherwise felt fine. He looked to his left and there sat Anya, now holding onto his hand.

"Hey, you," she said lovingly. "I was worried about you. I don't like to worry."

"No one does, Ahn. Why am I in the hospital? Where is everyone else?" Xander looked around the room to see a curtain to his right. He saw shadows on the other side. When one of them raised two fingers and spoke, he knew where everyone else was.

"Oi, keep it down, yeah? We've got injured people over here." Spike's tone was playful, letting Xander know that there was nothing too serious on the other side. As if to further ease his mind, the curtain moved away to reveal the rest of the Scoobies. Dawn stood smiling at the curtain's end before she came to give him a hug.

"I see you're finally awake, Mr. Sleepy Head," Dawn teased him.

"How long was I out?"

"Quite a while, thus the worrying," Anya said from beside him.

"What happened?"

"After you passed out, we convinced Zelda to let us use her phone. She wasn't thrilled that we had passed out on her yard, but she seemed eagre to do anything that would get Spike off of her lawn as quick as possible." Dawn seemed a little angry at that last bit, but she shrugged it off. She was going to continue the story when a voice from behind her picked it up in her stead.

"Then the flashing lights came and we were whisked off to this glorious establishment to be poked and prodded." Though there was some sarcasm in her statement, Xander could tell that Willow was happy. Her happiness also told him that, although she hadn't moved since he saw her, Tara was okay.

"How is she," Xander inquired as he nodded in Tara's direction.

"She'll be fine. The doctors said that she had a mild concussion and some internal bleeding, but that it was nothing serious." Although Willow's face was calm, it had been a storm of emotions when the doctor had first diagnosed Tara. She was thankful that Spike had spoken with the doctor afterwards, determining exactly what would be needed in Tara's recovery. She was also thankful for Dawn, who she knew had a severe dislike of hospitals. Dawn was trying to be strong for her sake, she knew, and Willow made a mental note to do something special for her later.

"She'll need lots of bedrest, but other than that, it'll be business as usual." Dawn looked back at Xander before speaking again. "You'll need lots of bedrest, too."

"Did I get a concussion and internal bleeding too?" Xander had been joking but the serious looks he received scared him a bit. "What?"

"Yes, you had the same conditions, but your's were all in your head. Xander, you were bleeding from your ears." Anya's words briefly brought back the last memories Xander could recall before he had passed out.

"Oh, right. Explains why my head hurts," Xander said with more humor than he felt. "But I'm okay now, right?" Anya squeezed his hand while smiling at him.

"Yes, you'll be fine. You'll need to come back for another cat scan in the future, just for precaution, but otherwise you are _in the open_." Anya's enthusiasm overshadowed for Xander the fact that she had gotten the expression wrong. The others giggled to themselves, except Spike, who still had a smile on his face, at Anya's gaffe.

"Alright, everyone walks away to live to fight another day." Xander's good humor was now both truthful and yet a mask. He was worried about not only himself, but his friends as well. He knew that without a Slayer, the Hellmouth was a dangerous place. He had hoped that the assembled group could handle anything that came their way. If the future had anymore nights like tonight in store, the Scoobies would be in very deep trouble.


	7. Family: Epilogue

**AN:** _A thousand thanks to my beta, Orin Forever Crimson! Thus ends **Family**. I've been doing some thinking, so don't be surprised if you see the next installment of **Redemption** in the Teen section. I haven't made up my mind yet. That said, please R&R, and enjoy!_

* * *

"Gracias, Senior. I'll be waiting," the taxi driver said as Giles paid him his current fee before stepping out of the cab. Giles sighed and cleaned his glasses before he walked up the door of the house before him. Giles rang the bell and readied himself. A young blonde woman opened the door, looking back and laughing with whomever else was inside before turning to Giles and speaking.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to see Mr. Summers." The woman's smile faltered a bit as she seemed to size Giles up briefly before calling.

"Hank, there's a British guy here to see you." The woman waited a moment and stepped back as Hank Summers stepped into view. To Giles' eyes, the man appeared to have aged very little since the last time he saw him, some three years ago.

"Hi, what can I do... for..." His voice trailed off into silence as he tried to place the man standing before him. He knew he had seen him once or twice before, but he couldn't quite place him.

"Mr. Summers, my name is Rupert Giles. I'm here to talk to you about matters concerning your daughter. May I come in?" Giles. Hank knew that name, and he very suddenly remembered where he had seen the man before; when Buffy had ran away from home a couple of years before. However, the image of the man from his memories didn't look quite so sad, so old.

"Er, ah sure, Rupert, right this way." Hank stepped back and gestured for Giles to enter.

"It's Mr. Giles, if you please." He had to fight to keep himself civil; he had no respect for the man he was meeting with but he was trying not to let it show. However, he would not be on a first name basis with the man, civility be damned.

Hank seemed to falter a bit at the cold shoulder, but he led Giles into his study all the same. He indicated a seat to Giles, who waited for Mr. Summers to be seated before seating himself.

"What has Buffy gotten herself into this time." Hank wasn't expecting the baleful stare that Giles levied his way. Giles held his gaze for long enough to cause Hank to squirm a bit and look away.

"Mr. Summers, I'm here about your other daughter, Dawn."

"Did she run away too? I can tell you, she's not here in Madrid."

"You lack of regard for your children's wellbeing is, frankly, appalling." Hank seemed about to interrupt but Giles wouldn't give him the satisfaction and pressed on. "I, too, doubt that Dawn is here, but even if she were, I don't think that you would know it. I seem to recall Buffy being in Los Angeles, despite your claims to the contrary. No, Mr. Summers, your daughter's current whereabouts are known to me, however it is her _future_ home that brings me here. I need you to fill out these documents signing custody of Dawn over to myself."

Giles pulled the forms out of his briefcase and placed them in front of Mr. Summers. Hank sat open-mouthed for a minute before he had recovered his wits enough to speak. He pushed the papers angrily to the side before he began.

"Listen here, mister. If you think that I'm going to sign over my daughter to you, just on your say so, you're crazy! For all I know, you're some kind of pervert who-"

"Listen well, Mr. Summers," Giles began as he stood up and leaned across the desk. "I have watched over your daughters for the better part of five years. During that time, you have come to see them twice. In addition, they went to visit you for a single summer, so you've seen them a grand total of three occassions over the course those same five years. During that time, I have helped them through more hardships than you can imagine. I helped them bury their mother, God rest her soul, an occasion you failed to appear at when your daughters needed you most." While rage had initially flushed Hank's cheeks, it was now shame making him red-faced. He had no rebuttal, no excuse that he could hide behind.

"I... I thought that Buffy had custody of Dawn after Joyce... passed," Hank said, trying to change the subject. Although he did not relish it, Giles had waited for this moment, knowing that it would be the turning point, the final twist of the blade.

"Hadn't you heard, Mr. Summers? Buffy is dead." Giles let the news sink in for the obviously astonished and heartbroken man in front of him before he continued. "She died on the 21 of May; we buried her three days later. I realise this must be shocking news to you, but it underscores both of my points." A despondent Hank sat slumped in his chair, moisture building in his eyes.

"And what points are those, Mr. Giles?"

"The first being that you are not and haven't been a part of your daughters' lives for quite some time. You are not the man to finish raising Dawn." While Hank glared loathingly at Giles, he didn't contradict him. "The second is that, with both Buffy and Joyce having been taken from this world, you are the only blood relation that young Dawn has left. Since you are luxuriating in Spain, the Child Protection Services will have no choice but to take her from the only _family_ she left and place her in a foster home." Here Giles stopped and waited until Hank dared to meet his eyes. When he spoke again, Giles leaned forward across the desk even more, putting more steel in his voice than he had used in a long time.

"Let me be very clear. _I will not let that happen_. I will see that Dawn stays in the home she has spent her formative teenage years growing up in, with the people that truly love her. I will do whatever it takes to make you sign those papers, Mr. Summers. Do not doubt me. Before I leave, I _will_ know that Dawn's future is safe." Hank found that he could no longer meet the gaze of the man named Rupert Giles. Head down, he reached for the papers that he had shoved across his desk and began to sign them wherever he saw an X. After a few moments, he handed the papers over to Giles with a shaking hand. Giles checked over them to make certain everything was in order. Satisfied, he put them back into his briefcase and stood.

"You'll understand if I don't shake your hand. I'll show myself out." With that, Giles walked out of the building and left Mr. Summers to his guilt and grief.

* * *

Giles exited the cab and once again paid the driver, who waved as he left to pick up his next passenger. He walked back into customs in order to book his next flight. He was not shocked to find that the customs agent he had dealt with previously was still working; he hadn't been here all that long. The woman smiled as Giles approached her window.

"Mr. Giles, back so soon?" The woman seemed genuinely pleased to see him again. Giles returned a pleasant enough smile, although it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes. My business has been taken care of, and while your country is beautiful, it isn't home." The woman nodded knowingly. Giles could only guess that the woman had learned English as a native tongue, not a secondary one.

"So, you'll be returning to London, Mr. Giles?" Giles was momentarily taken aback. He had no intention of returning to London, and it must have shown on his face. "Forgive me; you said you were going home, so I just assumed." He had said that, hadn't he? Yes, but Giles was surprised to find that home for him no longer lay in London. It was a farther west. Giles smiled before speaking again.

"No, London isn't home anymore. I'm going to Sunnydale, to pick up Da-," Giles stopped and corrected himself mid-sentance. "To pick up my daughter, to be with my family." The customs agent smiled knowingly before logging into her computer and printing out a ticket for Sunnydale.

"Enjoy your flight, Mr. Giles."

"Thank you very much. Have a good day." Giles shook her hand and began walking towards the terminals. As he checked his ticket to see what departure gate and time he had, he was surprised again to see that it was in 20 minutes. It was also one way. Giles turned back towards the customs agent, Linda, her name tag had said. She was already busy with her next traveler. Giles smiled and shook his head, walking towards gate 15. He was, for the first time in a long time, truly going home.

-To be Continued in _**Redemption: Trio**_-


End file.
